Stressed and Anxious? Here’s How to Stay Emotionally Healthy

With the lockdown measures in place and many people self-isolating, but the outbreak is affecting the way many of us live our lives and how we operate on a day-to-day basis.

Express gratitude.
We humans have a natural negativity bias. It’s a mechanism in place designed with the intention of keeping us safe.
Being on the lookout for danger, in theory, might be a better tactic to keep us alive than ignoring any signs of danger for the sake of focusing on pleasantries. Like being on alert for a mountain lion instead of enjoying a bed of flowers.
But 99 percent of the time, or more, our lives are not in imminent danger. Yet the negativity bias remains.
As it turns out, much like generosity, gratitude is also scientifically proven to be good for our emotional health.
It’s shown that people who express gratitude are more optimistic and feel better about their lives. Surprisingly, they also exercise more and have fewer visits to physicians than those who focus on sources of aggravation.
In some studies, it’s also shown people immediately exhibiting a huge increase in happiness scores, as well as improved relationships.
Here are some ways to express gratitude:
? Write a thank-you note or email
? Thank someone mentally
? Try a gratitude journal
? Pray or meditate on something you are grateful for

Ask for help if you need it.
Be proud of our communities coming together, staying home, and helping each other out. If there is something you need, there are whole groups of people ready and willing to help a stranger out.
Thankfully, this pandemic has come during a time of advanced technological capabilities, allowing us all to connect digitally.
Doctors, teachers and coaches are now available online. From the comfort of your socially distant home, you can find help right at your fingertips.
Ask. It doesn’t make you look weak. You aren’t impositioning anyone. People inherently like to be helpful.
Especially if you need help dealing with the anxiety of our current situation. We don’t make good decisions coming from a place of fear. Now more than ever it is essential to have emotional resiliency to get through this tough time and come out the other end whole and ready to move forward.
We’ll get through this. Together, even though we’re physically apart.